NORRISTOWN — A conspirator in a drug trafficking ring that authorities allege distributed nearly two tons of high-grade marijuana, shipped from California to Pennsylvania, and generated nearly $15 million in profit, has admitted to his role in the operation.

Stanislav Dubovsky, 27, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to multiple felony counts of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and conspiracy in connection with his role as a “distributor” in the drug ring that was dismantled by authorities during an investigation dubbed, “Operation Weed Whacker.”

“He’s admitting that he was part of the drug dealing operation in which marijuana was being transported from California to southeastern Pennsylvania. He was a distributor of that. He would get it from people higher up in the organization and then sell it to his own customers,” alleged Assistant District Attorney Jason Whalley.

Dubovsky, one of eight men arrested in May 2013 in connection with the alleged drug trafficking operation, remains in the county jail without bail to await sentencing. Judge Garrett D. Page ordered court officials to complete a background investigative report about Dubovsky before he imposes punishment.

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Dubovsky’s open guilty plea means he has no deals with prosecutors regarding his sentence. Dubovsky potentially faces decades in prison on the charges.

Dubovsky is the first of those charged in connection with the ring to plead guilty to the charges.

The others, who are still awaiting trial on various drug-related charges include: brothers Dennis Frederick, 40, of Drexel Hill and Jeffrey Frederick, 32, of Philadelphia; Charles Sadrin, 55, of Lincoln, Calif.; Ernest Peterkin, 24, of Philadelphia; Martin Williams, 32, of Philadelphia; and Earl DeSantis, 45, and John Walker, 29, both of Secane, Delaware County.

All of the defendants are listed in court papers as co-conspirators in an “ongoing criminal conspiracy and corrupt organization identified as the ‘Frederick Enterprise.’”

“This was a large-scale marijuana trafficking operation in southeastern Pennsylvania. It was a very significant drug bust for Montgomery County and this area. There were over 200 pounds of marijuana coming from California across the country to this area about every two to three weeks. That’s a significant product coming into this area,” Whalley alleged.

Dennis Frederick, according to court documents, served as the “Chief Executive Officer” of the group, with Sadrin as his marijuana supplier. Authorities characterized the ring as “substantial and extremely profitable” and alleged it had operated since at least November of 2011 through May 7, 2013, when Dennis Frederick, Sadrin and Peterkin were arrested in a Philadelphia garage “in mid-deal.”

The ring was first discovered operating in Whitpain in 2012, authorities alleged, and the subsequent investigation involved confidential sources, phone wiretaps, law enforcement surveillance and four controlled marijuana buys in Montgomery County.

Based on shipping records obtained through a Montgomery County Investigating Grand Jury subpoena, the arrest affidavit alleged, county detectives calculated that approximately 3,673 pounds of marijuana was shipped by Sadrin from Sacramento, Calif., to Philadelphia, between Jan. 16, 2012, and April 22, 2013, where it was later delivered to Dennis Frederick, who sold the marijuana to customers earning a gross income of $14.6 million.

That quantity does not include approximately 271 pounds of marijuana delivered by Sadrin to Dennis Frederick and Peterkin on May 7, according to authorities.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, Pennsylvania State Police, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force, the Bucks County Detective Bureau, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Follow Carl Hessler Jr. on Twitter @MontcoCourtNews

About the Author

Carl Hessler Jr. writes about crime and justice at the Montgomery County Courthouse for The Mercury and 21st Century Media Newspaper’s Greater Philadelphia area publications. A native of Reading, he studied at Penn State University and Kutztown University before graduating from Alvernia University with a degree in communications. He is a recipient of a National Headliner Award and has been honored for his writing by the Keystone Press Association, Philadelphia Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press Managing Editors of Pennsylvania. Reach the author at chessler@pottsmerc.com
or follow Carl on Twitter: @MontcoCourtNews.